Ryan Coogler’s supernatural vampire thriller “Sinners” made history Thursday by garnering a record 16 Academy Award nominations.
It breaks a previous tie held by “All About Eve,” in 1950, “Titanic,” in 1997, and “La La Land,” in 2016—each of which received 14 nominations.
“Sinners,” set in 1932 in Mississippi, follows identical twin brothers, played by Michael Jordan, who leave Chicago to return home and open a blues club despite threats of a Jim Crow South.
Coogler, whose past credits include “Black Panther” and “Creed,” wrote and directed the film.
The movie is the first to be shot in both IMAX 70 mm and Ultra Panavision 70 formats to intentionally shift aspect ratios for emotional impact, creating a more immersive experience, according to Coogler.
“If you’re especially lucky, you might live close to an IMAX 1.43:1 ratio theater,” Coogler said in a video released by Kodak in April 2025 about the film. “Where you’ll get the full impact of every image how we intended you to see it.”
Coogler received three nominations for the film—best picture (as producer), best director, and best original screenplay. His wife, Zinzi Evans Coogler, was nominated with him as a producer on the film, along with Sev Ohanian.
Other films nominated for best picture were “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Train Dreams.”
Jordan, who played a dual leading role in the film as the twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore, was nominated for best actor.
Delroy Lindo was nominated for best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of Delta Slim, a blues musician, in “Sinners.”
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from "One Battle After Another." The film received 13 Oscar nominations. (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Other supporting actors nominated were Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another,” Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein,” and Stellan Skarsgard for “Sentimental Value.”
Wunmi Mosaku picked up her first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the movie depicting a powerful Hoodoo priestess and spiritual guide.
Other supporting actresses nominated are Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for “Sentimental Value,” Amy Madigan for “Weapons, and Teyana Taylor for “One Battle After Another.”
Casting director Francine Maisler also received a nod from the Academy for her work on the vampire film, picking up her first Oscar nomination. Maisler is an accomplished casting director and producer with credits that include “Dune,” “Little Women,” ”The Mummy,” and “A Knight’s Tale.”
This image released by Focus Features shows Jessie Buckley, center, in a scene from "Hamnet." The film received eight Oscar nominations. (Agata Grzybowska/Focus Features via AP)
Other casting directors nominated were Nina Gold for “Hamnet,” Jennifer Venditti for “Marty Supreme,” Cassandra Kulukundis for “One Battle After Another,” and Gabriel Domingues for “The Secret Agent.”
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw was also nominated for work on the film.
Others nominated for best cinematography were Dan Lautsen for “Frankenstein,” Darius Khondji for “Marty Supreme,” Michael Bauman for “One Battle After Another,” and Adolpho Veloso for “Train Dreams.”
Ruth Carter was also nominated for costume design in “Sinners.” The nomination made Carter the most-nominated African American in Oscar history in any category.
Other nominees for costume design are Deborah Scott for “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Kate Hawley for “Frankenstein,” Malgosia Turzanska for “Hamnet,” and Miyako Bellizzi for “Marty Supreme.”
“Sinners” editor Michael Shawver was also nominated for best film editing.
This image released by A24 shows Timothée Chalamet in a scene from "Marty Supreme," which received nine Oscar nominations. (A24 via AP)
Other nominations for the film included best makeup and hairstyling, best original score, best production design, best sound, and best visual effects.
The movie didn’t pick up a nomination for best actress. Those went to Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet,” Rose Byrne for “If I had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value,” and Emma Stone for “Bugonia.”
The Academy Awards set strict new standards for Oscars eligibility for best picture awards starting with its 2025 awards event. Films must meet two of four standards to be eligible, including having lead actors or significant supporting actors, or a storyline, from an underrepresented racial or ethnic groups; hiring at least two department heads from underrepresented groups; hiring apprentices or interns from underrepresented groups; or hiring in-hour senior executives or consultants from underrepresented groups.
